THE benefits of not making the finals have been made clear - high draft picks that, notionally, can make the foul scent of failure as welcome as the stench of manure on a dying garden.
So what benefit is playing finals for the Swans who - unless they can produce a September miracle that would make the feeding of the multitude seem like some hokey party trick - have little chance of winning the flag? Here are a few potential outcomes.
1 The finals blowtorch: Given the emphasis the club has put on generational change this season, the most obvious advantage of a couple of weeks of finals would be the experience gained by September rookies such as Craig Bird, Jarred Moore and Kieren Jack - just as some of their now "middle-aged" teammates benefited from a deep run into 2003 ahead of their successful 2005 campaign.
At the same time, as master coach Kevin Sheedy once said to James Hird: "Finals are not a game of football, they are a battle of mental willpower, and the weakest bloke loses."
After a couple of finals, Paul Roos might know much more about some of his youngsters than he did after 22 home-and-away rounds.
2 Adam just being good: Fair to say, one of the reasons for the first tinge of grey sighted on the coaches head this season has been the erratic form of the brilliant Goodes - an incredible matchwinning eight goals against Fremantle one week, strangely subdued on other occasions.
Injury has played a part. Club doctor Nathan Gibbs spoke this year about how often Goodes had played with serious injuries - something that has certainly taken a toll on his form and, perhaps, contributed to his growing frustration.
However, having carried the Swans through the closing stages of last season, and starred in their only final against Collingwood, you suspect the Swans match committee would this time like to see if he can be merely a leading contributor, to play a high-impact 20 possession, two-goal game, rather than being either best on ground or MIA - something he could carry into next season.
3 Hall of fame: Greg Norman had the chance to change forever the way his career would be viewed with one round at Royal Birkdale. Instead, he shot 77.
Barry Hall has at least one chance to redeem a season that has spun out of control. But does he have the form, fitness and control to show he can still be a force in the next two years?
4 A fitting farewell: Peter Everitt is unlikely to be offered another contract. Jared Crouch is in the same boat. Co-captain Leo Barry has struggled at times this season and, although he will want to play on, at 31, the future is never certain. Others such as the very honourable Ben Mathews have played their last game and can only watch from the sidelines. It has become a point of honour at good clubs to have your stars and stalwarts go out in style.
5 They need you!: Chief executive Myles Baron-Hay spoke of the club's need to sign another 10,000 Sydney members over the next three years, which would take the total to 30,000 and 40,000 nationally. This at a time when the AFL will soon be looking to find the thousands of members required to take the new western Sydney franchise off life support before the next decade sometime before humans settle on Neptune.
Roos wonders why Carlton, Richmond and Essendon have been given glowing praise by the media when they have not made the finals while the Swans, after a troubled season, are on the nose despite finishing sixth. A couple of September scalps might show wavering fans and potential new members the future is brighter than the sceptics suggest.
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